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» Tim Kaufman-Osborn to step down as Provost and Dean of the Faculty at the end of the academic year

Tim Kaufman-Osborn to step down as Provost and Dean of the Faculty at the end of the academic year

November 19, 2013

Provost and Dean of the Faculty of Whitman College Timothy Kaufman-Osborn announced that he will leave his administrative position on June 30, 2014. After six years of leading Whitman's academic program, Kaufman-Osborn will take a sabbatical leave before returning to the college. In explaining his decision, he cited a desire to spend more time with his family, including a first grandchild, as well as a wish to return to scholarly pursuits.

"Over the course of these years, I have acquired a global perspective on the college that I did not and could not have secured in other positions in which I have served," Kaufman-Osborn said. "I have learned about many matters that I never would have come to understand or appreciate had I not left the classroom; I have come to know faculty members across campus in ways that never would have been possible had I remained primarily anchored in Maxey Hall and I have developed a profound respect for their dedication to providing Whitman students an exceptional education in the liberal arts and sciences. Finally, as a result of my service in this position, my respect for the faculty has come to be matched by my equal appreciation for the staff of Whitman College, especially but by no means limited to those who work in Memorial."

Whitman College President George Bridges praised Kaufman-Osborn's contributions to the college in his roles as Provost, a member and the chair of the Department of Politics, chair of the Division of Social Sciences, chair of the faculty, and as a gifted scholar and teacher.

"Tim helped grow the Department of Politics into one of the strongest among all small colleges in the country," Bridges said. "While his teaching significantly advanced students' knowledge and inspired their learning, his scholarship has also shaped the understanding and application of law in the United States."

Some of Kaufman-Osborn's achievements in his role as Provost include helping to secure funding for more tenure-track faculty positions, establishing new endowed chairs and professorships, and working to overhaul Whitman's course registration system for first year students.

"Whitman is a much better institution because of Tim's profound care, effort and influence in both this position and the others he has held over the course of his career," Bridges said. "Despite the heavy workload he has routinely carried, many on our campus, including me, have benefited personally from working with, knowing and spending time with Tim as a professor, administrator and a dear friend."

Kaufman-Osborn will contribute an article to "Whitman Magazine" next year about his time as Provost and Dean of the Faculty.